After The Eclipse
by littlemisslibrarian
Summary: Book by Wendy Mass. What happens after that fateful night? How do Ally and Bree react to the move? Does Jack change his ways? Will they ever meet again?
1. Chapter 1: Homesickness and Treehouses

Ally put the last book in the large cardboard box by her bed. She hugged Bree. This was her home since she could remember, and now she was leaving it. Though she wanted to see the world, the though of leaving her beautiful woods still tore her heart in two. Half of her heart would always stay here.

"Have fun. Don't let me come back to broken telescopes!" she joked. The joke did nothing to lighten the mood. This was the time when everything would change for the both of them.

Bree nodded. Then Ally's parents called her. Ally took out _Dark Matters_, a book written by Bree's parents, to read on the journey. As she sat down in the car, she stared back at her home and her two new friends with eyes blurred by tears. She rolled the window down and waved. They waved back, then they turned into dots. When they disappeared altogether, Ally rolled up the window and sighed. Being positive about moving is easy until moving day. At least she will be able to return in the summer. And maybe Jack will even be back. But she doubted it.

_Think happy thoughts,_ she scolded herself. So she stared at the pictures of the solar eclipse and remembered holding hands with her friends as a ring of white flame shone above them. The sound of the car's engine and the vibration of the seat and the warmth of the sun made her drowsy. In her dream, she was Alpha Girl. She rode a comet around Earth and looked down at everyone staring at her. They shouted, "Look! There's Comet Summers!" She smiled and waved, then sped off to defend the galaxy.

* * *

Bree looked around the small, plain room and immediately got to work covering it with posters. Then she stuffed the pitifully small closet with as much clothes as she could, and put the remainder in Ally's dresser. She set up her laptop, hoping she could at least get Wi-Fi. Bingo. She turned on her webcam and sent a chat request to her best friend, Claire. Claire accepted happily.

"Hi BFF! How are things in the backwoods?"

"I think I can survive here. At least I have Wi-Fi. So how are things back home?"

"Great! I'm dating this really cute new kid named Josh! He has the nicest green eyes! So, meet any cute boys yet?"

"Actually, yes. A total hunk! His name's Ryan!"

"Good for you!"  
Bree smiled. It was good to talk to her best friend again. Then Melanie cart wheeled in. She reminded Bree that she needed to smooth the dirt in the labyrinth. Bree groaned, but she was secretly delighted. She hadn't gotten a chance to see the labyrinth yet. So she said goodbye to Claire and logged off. She was gonna have to get used to dirty work.

* * *

Jack found a piece of plywood in the leftover lumber pile. He measured it.

"Perfect," he thought. Jack was finally getting around to putting a door on his treehouse. His two weeks at The Moon Shadow had inspired him to do more things. He called to his big brother.

"Mike! I need your help!"

"Not now, little bro. I promised my girlfriend I wouldn't be late."

Jack sighed. Typical Mike. Always out with his girlfriend. So he went inside and found his mom.

"Mom? Can you help me with the door to my treehouse?"

"Okay. What do I have to do?'  
"Just hold the door. Can you do that?"

"Well…um…okay. Lead the way."

Jack led his mom to the treehouse. She waited patiently as Jack got the hinges, screws, and some old drawer handles. She sat in the doorway and carefully held the door while Jack added the hinges. Then she got out of the way as he swung it to make sure it worked right.

"Thanks Mom! It works perfectly!"

"You're welcome, honey. Now I need to go inside and rest. I take it you're staying up here for a little while?"

"Yep."

"Alright. Well be sure you're not late for lunch!"

"Do you really think I'd miss lunch?"

Jack's mom laughed and ruffled his hair. Then she climbed down the ladder and went inside. Jack sat down and read one of his new science fiction novels.


	2. Chapter 2: Moving In

Ally stared out the window of the plane, feeling a bit queasy. She turned away and tried to think about anything else but being 1,000 feet above the ground and going at 500 miles an hour. She talked to her brother Kenny until he fell asleep, snoring on her shoulder. Ally frowned and pushed him away before he got drool on her shirt. This was gonna be a long flight.

But finally they landed in their destination: Cincinnati. Ally picked up her luggage and walked behind her parents, trying not to grow dizzy with the sheer size of the place. So many people. More than she had ever seen at the campground, even on the night of the eclipse. And to think she would have to _live_ here! Her parents called a taxi, which took them to a huge apartment. She followed her parents to the elevator, a little scared of it. The sudden feeling of movement made her stomach jolt, and she kept wondering if she was falling. Finally, the ride stopped and she popped her ears.

Ally looked out the window and gasped. They were so high up! This building dwarfed the trees! And what a pretty view of the sky! She snapped out of it when Kenny waved his hand in front of her eyes. She walked into her apartment, which was about the same size of her cabin at the campground. But unlike the cabin, it was really high up. And it was white from floor to ceiling, except for the gold doorknobs. Harsh florescent lights shone overhead. Ally's mom showed her to her room.

Ally immediately opened up her bag of glow in the dark stars and stuck them on her ceiling. Much better. Then she realized that her room was bare. Mom had told her before that they needed to buy furniture, but it just went through Ally's head. No problem. She hung up her posters and spread out her sleeping bag and blanket. Then Ally piled her books in a corner and set her stuffed panda on top of them. She went over to Kenny's room to check on him, and nearly couldn't make it past a blown-up picture of a stinkbug. Nice.

Kenny seemed to be settling in well. He had also laid out his sleeping bag and piled his books in a corner, and his disgusting bug posters were all over the walls. He had hung his fake butterflies from the ceiling, which was the only pleasant thing about his room. Kenny noticed her, and grinned evilly. Then he shoved a real-looking spider in her face. Ally screamed and backed out of the room.

"That better not be real!"  
"Oh, but it is," Kenny said in a spooky voice, then laughed and recaptured his spider. Ally grimaced and returned to her room. She hung her meteorite pouch on a hook and fell asleep, tired from jet lag.

Bree frowned at her yellow sneakers, which were streaked with dirt. Maybe there was something to Ally's terrible fashion sense. Normal clothes wouldn't last a second in this place. _Note to self: NEVER wear skinny jeans in the woods. Or fancy sneakers. Or rhinestones. Or anything other than old clothes._ She couldn't wait to go inside. Melanie, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. Finally, they finished the labyrinth, which was very interesting by the way. She felt very philosophical there.

Next, it was Bree's job to put the fake gold in the creek. She did this with Melanie, also, while her parents worked on their studies. _What about, I don't know, the CAMP_, Bree thought angrily. They had promised Ally and her family that they would take care of the camp. So much for that. It was all up to her and Melanie. Wondeful.

Bree turns on her iPod and resumes her chores. Claire had said she was coming in a week, and she wanted to make sure the forest looked presentable.

Jack grew tired of reading and started doodling. He drew another picture of Alpha Girl, this time with a new hero: Beauty Queen. Bree. And he was Burrito Bob. Random, but it was the only thing he could think of. As he drew, he thought of his two weeks, and decided to try his mom's and Bree's advice and join an art club. He climbed down from the treehouse and went inside.

"Mom, do you know if the rec center has an art club?"  
"I believe they do. Do you want to check?"  
"Of course."

With that, Jack's mom drove him to the rec center. There, he noticed a gym. He remembered Ryan, and made a note to himself to return there soon. Then he saw a door covered with paintings. That had to be the art club. He opened the door and was greeted by the smell of fresh paint, clay, and plaster. An older lady with a beehive hairdo-and fake bees in her hair!-smiled. Her lips, which were covered with too much lipstick, parted in a grand smile.

"Welcome! Welcome! What's your name, young man?"

"Um, Jack," he said awkwardly.

"Well, Um Jack," she joked, giggling, You were just in time. I was just starting class. You can sit here, in the front." Great. The front. And right next to a girl too.

The girl looked at him and smiled, revealing rainbow braces. She had red hair and freckles, and seemed overly hyper. She wiggled in her seat and bounced.

"Hi! Don't you recognize me? I'm Hannah from science!"  
"Oh! Hello, Hannah. Sorry, I don't really pay much attention to people."

"I do! Mom says I need to be more social, but I'm plenty social. It's just that people don't wanna hang with me! I wonder why? Could it be my braces? Oh dear! I forgot about those," she exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. Jack shook his head.

"You don't need to hide them. I won't tease you for it. Believe me, I know what it's like to be bullied."


	3. Chapter 3: Oops!

"Wake up, Astrodork! Mom's taking us shopping!"

Ally groaned. Shopping. She would much rather be walking the labyrinth. But she knew that Mom would just physically drag her out of bed. So she slipped on her old sneakers and gray t-shirt and faded jeans. Ally followed Kenny out of her room and into the elevator with her parents. _Keep an open mind, Ally,_ she reminded herself. _You were the one who wanted to see the world._ So Ally calmed down and began to think positively. Maybe change would be a good thing. And she'd never shopped before, so who was she to say that it was boring.

The elevator dinged, and Ally popped her ears again. _Maybe this is why city people always chew gum_, she thought with annoyance. She got into the car, and soon they were at a mall. Her parents parked the car, and Ally spun around, trying to get her bearings. _So much commotion…_

When they got inside the mall, Ally saw almost nothing of interest. But her parents led her into the nearest clothing store: Hollister. Whatever that meant. A few teenage girls, around Ally's age, were strolling through the aisles with three shopping bags each. They took one look at her rugged clothes and laughed. Ally's ears grew hot as she ducked into another aisle.

She feigned interest in the clothes. A few caught her attention, though. A navy blue hoodie looked like it would be useful for colder days, and the color went well with her hair. Bree had taught her to pay more attention to color schemes and such. So she took the hoodie and a white t-shirt and went to the check-out counter. She showed Mom her merchandise, and she nodded approvingly.

"Did you try it on?"

"What? Here," Ally asked, blushing.

"No! There are some changing rooms in the back. I want to see the clothes on you when you're done."

Ally nodded, still flustered, and hurried to the back of the room. She was anxious to get out of this place, with its dim lighting and disgusting perfume. She saw an unmarked door, and opened it to find a small room filled with cleaning supplies. She closed the door slowly behind her. After she had put on the t-shirt, the door opened. A shocked-looking janitor was eyeing her suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is the changing room, isn't it," Ally asked in a confused voice.

"No… The changing room is over there," the janitor said, pointing to Ally's left. Ally thanked the man and slipped past him, wishing she could just turn into a puddle. She ran into her mother, who laughed when she surveyed the scene.

"Now you know that the janitor's closet is not a dressing room! You learn something new every day! By the way, you look really nice in that shirt!" Ally glared at her, and went into a changing room to put on the hoodie, which also won her mother's approval. Dad and Kenny were impressed, too.

When Ally bought her clothes, she ran out of Hollister, feeling like an idiot.

* * *

Bree gulped down a cup of instant coffee. She was gonna need the energy to lead the stargazing class tonight. She looked over her charts and notes to make sure she knew what she was talking about. Then she flicked on the red flashlight and made her way to the fire ring. Melanie was sitting in the front row, her grinning teeth gleaming white in the twilight. Of course, her stupid parents were doing research. _Note to self: Tell Ally and her family about forgetful parents._

"Okay. Um," Bree began awkwardly. She tried to remember the first constellation. "First I will show you the Big Dipper," she said finally. A hand rose above the crowd.

"Yes?"

"Where's Ally," the middle-aged man asked.

"Ally moved. I'm sorry."

"It's a pity. She knew what she was talking about," the man jeered. Bree clenched her teeth, then calmed down and continued.

"Anyway, the Big Dipper is right here." Bree pointed it out with her laser pointer. She looked to Melanie for approval, and she nodded. Bree traced a line from the tip of the "spoon" to the North Star. Or, at least, she thought it was the North Star. She heard chuckles, and turned around angrily.

"If you guys know where these stars are, why are you here?"

To her dismay, several people in the back left. Melanie jumped onto the stage and guided Bree's hand, and the laser, back to the real North Star.

"You overshot by two inches."  
"Um, thanks Melanie. Do you think you should take over?"  
"No, you're doing fine. Everyone makes mistakes," Melanie reassured her. Bree took a deep breath and showed the group how to find Cassiopea. She was glad that she was correct and the M-shaped stars were right where she was pointing. It seemed like she was teaching herself as well as the group. After a few more constellations-and stupid mistakes-Bree and Melanie hiked back to the cabin. Bree collapsed onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow. It was gonna take her forever to know everything she needed to know! And her parents were no help. Melanie had offered to stay up later and work on the paperwork. Her parents' job. Bree groaned and tried to sleep, but the caffeine hadn't run its course yet.

Bree gave up and walked to the Star Garden, taking the only open telescope. She scanned the Milky Way, which Ally had said was full of galaxies and star clusters and other cool things. She gasped when her telescope filled with the image of a spiraling cluster of stars light-years away. It looked so close! She wondered if there was another planet in that galaxy, with another girl, who was looking at the Milky Way at that very moment. Was she wondering if someone was looking back at her? Bree pondered these questions until she grew tired. Then she went back to the cabin and fell asleep, dreading having to wake up early again tomorrow.

* * *

"Okay, class. Today we are going to learn how to draw a still life. In front of you, you will notice a figure of the human body, made entirely out of wooden ovals. I want you to position the figure any way you want, then draw it. And go!"

Jack rolled his eyes. _Piece of cake!_ He made his figure stand with its hands on its hips. He drew it, being sure to add shading. Hannah leaned over and looked at his picture.

"That's really good! A lot better than mine!"

Then she showed him her drawing. It wasn't too bad, actually. Her figure looked like it was ice skating. Or maybe doing ballet. But her lines were crooked and her shading was a bit off. Jack showed her how to draw straight lines by calming down and paying more attention. Then he showed her some shading tips. _Maybe I should start being more social after all._

Art class dismissed, and Jack said goodbye to Hannah. As she turned, Jack thought for a minute that he was looking at Ally. Then the vision passed, and Jack blinked. _Weird._ Then he met up with his mom, who demanded to see his latest drawing. So he showed her, and she smiled.

"You have a real gift, Jack. You should use it more often."  
"Thanks Mom."

Jack got home to see his brother arguing with his girlfriend.

"All I'm saying is, it's only fair that you pay the bill every now and then! I'm running out of money!"  
"Well here's a newsflash, you insensitive jerk: We're bankrupt! My parents can't afford to give me an allowance!"

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"  
"Well you should listen to me more often! Talk to me when your ears work."

Then she stormed off, pushing Jack aside. Jack awkwardly walked up to his brother.

"I'm sorry…"  
"Shut it, Jack. Stick your nose in one of your geeky books, not in my love life!"

Jack's shoulders slumped, and he went to his room. He played a few video games before falling asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Complications

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was grounded for a whole hacking month for…something that I don't want to talk about. Anyway, enjoy! Reviews are appreciated, even if they're negative. This chapter is a little longer because this is when things start happening.

* * *

"Change into your new clothes and we'll explore the city. I went online and found a few places that you guys might appreciate. Look, there's a planetarium! And there's also a museum, with a new insect exhibit. You can also visit the huge library! Come on," Dad said cheerfully.

Ally grinned. This was more like it!

"Wait, what about furniture shopping," she thought suddenly. The apartment was still bare.

"We'll do that tomorrow. It's already 3, and you had enough shopping for one day."

"Thanks, Dad," Ally said as she slipped into the bathroom and changed into stonewashed jeans and a white t-shirt. Kenny jumped out of his room wearing an olive-green polo shirt and dark blue jeans. They rode in the annoying elevator again and rushed out of the apartment to pile into the car.

Their first stop was the planetarium. Ally was amazed at the size of the building. It was a huge dome with blue lights all around it, and a projector in the middle. Seats surrounded the projector, each one able to recline so the person sitting in it could view the "stars" more easily. They were just in time for a show. The building was half full, and the quiet whispering stopped as the lights dimmed. An elderly man stepped in with a microphone.

"Welcome to the wonderful world of stars. We are going to show you what the night sky will look like tonight, minus the streetlights," he said. There was quiet laughter. The man waited until it was quiet, which didn't take long, and continued.

"The summer constellations are disappearing." The lights dimmed more, and stars appeared. Ally gaped. They were so lifelike. But they didn't twinkle. "Here you can see Cygnus flying over the river of stars known as the Milky Way."

Cygnus was suddenly surrounded by the transparent outline of a swan. Then the astronomer went on to show the locations of Sagittarius, Lyra, Libra, and all the others. All of them were transformed into the objects they represented. The "sky" looked like graffiti. But it was beautiful in a way. Or maybe Ally missed the open sky more than she realized.

After the show, Ally blinked as the lights grew bright again. She would definitely be returning here. It was the closest thing she could find to a sky that wasn't filled with light from streetlights.

The next stop was the museum. While Kenny and Dad went to see the insect exhibit, Mom and Ally went to the dinosaur room first. Ally knew that dinosaurs were big, but she never expected to see a fossil so tall that the head was at the top of the third floor! She quickly snapped a picture with her camera, but she was leaning back and was off balance. She stumbled into somebody. When Ally dusted herself off, she turned around to help the poor person who was knocked over.

_Oh!_

That person happened to be a boy with black hair that covered one eye, skin that was pale without being ghostly, and bright blue eyes. Ally trembled slightly as she offered him her hand to help him up. He took it and walked away. Mom giggled.

"You're blushing!"

Ally blushed more. How embarrassing!

"Um, I…have to…go…go to the bathroom," she stammered awkwardly. What was this weird feeling? Her stomach was doing somersaults as if she was sick, and her body felt warm. Her head was fuzzy. Ally sat in the bathroom until the feeling subsided, but her mind was still filled with the image of that boy…

At the library, Ally took the opportunity to look up her condition. She chose a book entitled: _A Teen's Guide to Growing Up. _One page read:

"Do you feel woozy? Is your stomach doing somersaults? Is your face hot? Whenever you see a boy? Don't worry; you're not sick! It's just a little something called a crush. Crushes are a great way to find out what you want in a guy, and to 'test the waters' with love. But your first crush can be a bit overwhelming…"

Ally closed the book and took a deep breath. _Good, I'm not crazy!_ There were more topics of interest, so she took that book and a few more and went to join her family at the checkout counter. Kenny tipped his head back to stare at the very high ceiling. He looked so funny that Ally couldn't contain a laugh. Her brother glared at her, but she just shrugged.

* * *

Bree and Melanie were rushing around, trying to get the paperwork done. Bree kept waiting for a slow period when she could ask her parents for help, but people just kept coming. They had questions about everything under the sun: weather, the location of bathrooms, presentations, eclipses, and the actual sun. Bree thought she might lose her voice when the day was over, and she was _sweating!_ Even Melanie looked exhausted. Finally, the campers seemed satisfied.

Bree marched to her parents' room and cleared her throat. The sound was nearly lost in the whir of computers that cluttered up the room. But her parents heard her and turned around, their eyes bloodshot from staring at a computer screen.

"You guys never help us. This campground is your responsibility too," Bree said angrily.

"I'm sorry, but we're on the verge of an important discovery. There's no time to waste," her dad countered.

"It's not wasting your time to fulfill a promise! I heard you say loud and clear that you promised you would take care of the campground!"

"Bree, sometimes you just have to prioritize."

"Well you're doing a really crappy job of prioritizing!"

"Watch your mouth," Mom interjected sharply. "Go to your room and when you can talk to us in a civil manner, you can come out!"

Bree scowled. "I'm not a baby! I'm a citizen of America and I have freedom of speech!"

"Not when you're under our roof you don't! Go. To. Your. Room!"

"Fine!" Bree slammed the door on the way out. She crossed the hall to her room and slammed that door. She had to talk to Ally.

Bree booted up her laptop and sent Ally a videochat request. When she accepted, Bree noticed that in the background were several articles of clothing from Hollister. _That's my girl,_ she thought proudly. But that's not what she wanted to talk about, and she was reluctant to break the news. It would surely wipe that giddy smile off her face. Finally, she took a deep breath.

"Mom and Dad aren't keeping up their end of the bargain. They spend all day hunched over computers and doing experiments. It takes more than two to run a campground. Even Melanie was exhausted today."

Sure enough, Ally's face went from joyful to concerned.

"That's terrible! Did you try talking to them?"

"Yes. But they said I wasn't being civil, didn't have freedom of speech, and sent me to my room."

Ally frowned. "Parents!" Then she brightened up.

"Hey! I know what you can do! When I was homeschooled, we did a lesson on persuasive essays. You write a letter to your parents explaining why you think they're spending too much time on their research, use strong words and at least three good reasons, and tape it to their computer. I'll help you by proofreading it."

"Thanks, Ally! I guess being a geek can pay off after all," Bree teased. Ally pretended to be offended and playfully shook her fist before signing off. Bree immediately opened up the word processing software and got to work.

Later, after lunch and chores, she had typed up a one-page letter to her parents. She e-mailed it to Ally, then waited impatiently for her input. A few minutes later, Ally replied. Bree edited her letter and sent it again, and they went back and forth like that for almost an hour. Finally, the letter was done.

* * *

The day was sweltering, but Jack was comfortable in the shade of his treehouse. He was reading his latest comic book when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it to find Hannah clinging to the ladder, looking horrified. Her red hair was wild, and her face was paler than usual.

"OMG my parents just totally ruined my life even more! They usually hit me or spank me when I do something wrong. But this time the puppy jumped on me and I stumbled and broke a vase, and she hit me and the puppy with a belt and threw-literally_ threw!_-the puppy outside. So I ran out and saw you through the window of your treehouse and figured you were the closest thing to a friend I have so I came here," she blurted out. Jack was almost as out of breath as Hannah was, just from listening to her. He took a minute to absorb what she just said, and realized that she was in real trouble. He felt very sorry for his new friend. Hannah's conundrum made his numerous stepdads seem like the norm.

"Did you call the police," he asked.

"No. I'm sure it's okay to hit a kid as long as it's not a serious injury."

"No, it's not. Hitting someone is never okay. You should call the police. They could arrest your mom and make her pay for her crimes."

"But I could never do that. I would go into foster care. None of my relatives want me, and there's nobody else who would adopt me."

Jack hung his head. This was a sticky situation. She couldn't run away; that was illegal. She couldn't call the police because she would go into foster care. And she couldn't live with another relative because no one would take her. He was going to have to ask Mom for advice, but first he did the only thing he could think of doing.

"Do you want to stay up here for a little while? Not like a date, of course, but long enough for your mom to calm down?"

"Sure."

And so they sat in the treehouse for an hour and read comic books and chatted. Then his brother came home.

"Who's your girlfriend," he called. _Okay, the next thing I'm going to do is get curtains for my treehouse, _Jack thought with annoyance.

"She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends."

"Sure. Whatever you say," Charlie sneered. Hannah blushed.

"I…I should go."

"Okay. See you later," Jack called as Hannah climbed down the ladder. When she was gone, he grabbed a piece of paper and drew another alien picture. It showed Hannah's mother as a green, slimy alien with wicked tentacles. Hannah would appreciate that.


	5. Chapter 5: What To Do?

Ally flopped onto her new bed, exhausted from shopping and hauling furniture to her room. At least the house looked more inviting now. Her bed looked like it was made of branches. She had a gossamer yellow curtain on her window. Alongside her bed was a forest green nightstand. A small blue bookcase held her personal library. The desk was white, and the swivel chair was grey. Finally, a rocking chair sat in a corner near her bookshelf. She was satisfied with the layout. For a few minutes she lay there. The branch bed reminded her of her old house. But thoughts of her old house brought anxious thoughts of how Bree's parents will handle the campsite and their research. She sent Bree a video chat request.

Bree responded to Ally's request, feeling hopeful. Her parents had read the note, and they said they would think about it and that she did a good job writing it. Then she changed the subject.

"Your room looks more complete."

"Yeah. I just got done hauling all this up here. I can't believe school starts next week. Where did the summer go?"

"Wherever it is, I want to go there." They both laughed, forgetting their worries for a moment. Then Ally grinned. Bree knew that grin.

"Who's the boy?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know, but he has black hair and blue eyes and he's so cute!"

"Sounds like it," Bree responded, but privately she couldn't judge without knowing more details.

"I hope he goes to my school. But whenever I'm around him I stutter! You know all about crushes, so what do you suggest?"

"Just think of him as a friend. Take deep breaths, and keep your comments short and sweet. You don't want to ramble on like a lunatic. I learned that from experience."

"Thanks so much for the advice! So how are you liking your chores?"

"Well, my clothes are starting to look like yours. I actually like wearing old clothes. It's no fun trying to put plastic gold in a creek when your jeans are cutting off circulation to your legs!"

Then Melanie needed Bree's help with a difficult customer, and they had to log off. Their conversation left both girls feeling a little lighter.

Jack's mom had no advice. Hannah staying at their house was not a choice. There were already enough people. Jack told Hannah this when she visited him again the next day. She said her mother was looking for her, but she can never go far.

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Why what?"

"Why is your mother looking for you, and why can't she go far?"

"She's going through withdrawal. I dumped her alcohol down the sink. But now she has a terrible headache and is madder than a bull on the red carpet."

"So your mom's an alcoholic?"

"Yep. But that's not the only reason she has problems. She's just a deeply disturbed individual."

"Why are you so hyper?"

"I've been like that since I was a baby. I don't know why. The doctors don't know why either. I guess that's just the way I was made."

Jack and Hannah sat in the treehouse and read comic books the rest of the afternoon. Then the red haired girl sniffled.

"What's wrong," Jack asked, concerned.

"I don't know what to do!"

"We'll think of something."

"In the meantime, I drew something I think you might like," Jack said brightly, giving Hannah the picture of the slimy alien mother. She laughed.

"Thanks Jack. I don't think Mom will appreciate it though! But I guess that was the point! Well I'd better be heading back. Maybe I'll think of something. I have a hiding place that helps when I'm scared. I use it a lot. Even the puppy can fit in it! Well bye!" Hannah bounded down the ladder and raced home. Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. If only he wasn't so pudgy, he would be able to stand up to her mother. This thought gave him even more motivation to go to the gym.

The next day, Hannah met up with Jack after art class. She showed him a piece of paper.

"It's my grandfather's will. It clearly states that if he dies before I turn 18, I am to live with my uncle. Even he didn't trust my mother. I like my uncle. He's a veterinarian. He's nice, but he didn't want me because he figured it would be so complicated with custody and everything. Well now it's not! Mom stole me! I hate being treated like a piece of property, but if it gets me away from my mom I'm happy. But I'm worried she'll rip up the will or something. Can you come with me?"

Jack became dizzy, then scared. He was going to have to face her mother. What could he do? Get every bone in his body broken, that's what. He opened his mouth to say no. Hannah stared at him expectantly. His mind said _No No No! _But his mouth said "Okay."


	6. Chapter 6: The End?

Ally wandered around the museum. She stopped to examine a fossil when she heard a male voice say "Excuse me." She turned around, blushed, and quickly stepped to the side. She clutched her meteorite pouch nervously. The voice belonged to her crush! He glanced at her and said,

"Hey, aren't you that girl who knocked me over at the mall?"

Ally tried to casually lean on a pole to keep her balance; her knees were jelly.

"Heheh, yeah. Sorry about that. That dinosaur was huge." She resisted the urge to smack her forehead with the palm of her hand. _Could you sound any more stupid, _she thought to herself, fiddling with her pouch.

"No problem. Hey, what's that around your neck?"

Ally felt like an alien. She was used to everybody knowing about her meteorite. She remembered her parents arguing about whether it would allow her to fit in in the world outside the Moon Shadow.

"I-it's from my g-grandfather. He-he was hit by it in his yard."

"Cool! Your grandfather is a very lucky man." A voice called out "Terry!" The boy looked over his shoulder.

"That's my dad. Gotta go." Then he jogged away, muttering something about how stupid the nickname Terry was. Ally shook her head slightly and headed for the space section of the museum. She immersed herself in the interactive displays, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Bree woke up with the rising sun and went to water the plants in the Sun Garden. She paused to check the time with her shadow and noticed what looked like shadows from heat waves behind her. But the morning was still cool. Then she smelled smoke. Her first thought was, Why would somebody build a campfire here? Then she realized that the blaze was out of control, and heading for the Sun Garden! She ran faster than she'd ever ran before, and burst through the door of her parents' room.

"FIRE!" she cried out. Then, without hesitation, she dragged her parents out the door and to the Sun Garden, where the fire was heading fast. They quickly called 911, who promised to send a firefighting helicopter. In the meantime, all nearby campers had canteens and buckets and were trying to contain the blaze. What would Ally think if the campsite was destroyed, Bree thought anxiously. Everyone was sweating as they tried in vain to contain the inferno. It crackled evilly toward the garden. The combined heat from the effort and the fire left a sunburn on Bree's face. Melanie joined in, bringing in soaked towels from the creek. She slapped the ground, spritzing droplets on Bree. But they were pushed back into the Sun Garden as the fire went on, unaware of the water.

Then, without warning, a gush of water knocked everyone onto their feet. The helicopter had come. Bree waved enthusiastically, trying to thank them. Then she turned her attention back on the ground. The fire had left an ugly scar in the woods. It was short, but it was ugly. A patch of smoldering wood and still-hot cinder and charcoal about an acre long stretched in front of them. In the center of it all was a circle of stone that formed a fire ring. A sudden burst of anger swept through Bree like a second fire.

"Who did this?" she demanded.

"Um, it was me," a college-age man admitted quietly. "I tried to make a fire safely, but then the wind changed when I wasn't looking."

Bree clenched her fists, drawing blood when one of her fingernails dug into her skin. She didn't know whether to scream, cry, punch someone, run away, or yell at the idiot. Everyone wisely backed off. Melanie touched Bree's arm.

"It's okay. The forest will regrow."

"In a hundred years! This fire will ruin the Moon Shadow! If Mom and Dad hadn't been so wrapped up in their research, maybe I would have had more time to make sure everyone was doing everything safely." The tears came before she could stop them, cooling her burnt face. She ran into the woods, and she kept running until she collapsed from sheer exhaustion. She decided not to tell Ally about the fire. Fortunately, only part of the Sun Garden was burnt down. They could replant the flowers. But there was nothing they could do about the eerie wasteland next to it.

Jack's trembling hand held Hannah's as she opened the door to her house. Her mother was on the couch, dressed in a green robe, with her hair in curlers. She looked like a zombie, with dark circles around her eyes and her pale skin in wrinkles. She didn't look very violent. Hannah approached her with the will, on which she had highlighted the part about who she lived with if her grandfather died. She had lived with her grandfather initially because her mother was homeless for a while. But when her mother got back on her feet she demanded that Hannah live with her.

Hannah read the will to her mother, who raised an eyebrow.

"I guess those art classed did ya good. That's a really creative lie." She clenched her fist. Before Jack knew what was happening, he grabbed the woman's bony wrist.

"And who might you be? Her lawyer?" The woman let out a dry laugh.

"I'm her friend, who's here to make sure you don't hurt her."

"Aw, how sweet," she said sarcastically.

"Do you want to go to court," Hannah asked. Something flashed in her mother's eyes, like she was remembering a terrible experience.

"Yeah, I heard the story. We would have to go to the same court where you lost it while on jury duty."

"Tell me where you heard that now," her mother screamed. She rose from her chair. Jack stood between her and Hannah.

"She doesn't have to." To Jack, it felt like the words weren't coming out of his mouth, or his mouth was saying someone else's words. "It's a free country."

Hannah's mother narrowed her eyes.

"If you hate me, why do you want me here so badly," Hannah asked. Her mother sank back down, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Because I wanted to prove to your grandfather that I could be a good mother. I was in the circus when I had you. Grandfather didn't like that. I wanted to show him that just because I was a clown didn't mean I was a stupid parent. But the stress became too much for me and I became an alcoholic. I drank so much that I got brain damage. That's why I have mood swings like that. Thanks for dumping my alcohol. I guess I just needed a wake up call. I'll get better, but I think the best place for your now is your uncle's."

Hannah hugged her mother, and for a long time Jack stood there awkwardly. Then they let go and Hannah rode her bike to her uncle's, promising to visit her mother. Jack headed home, a lighter feeling in his heart.

One thing was for sure. A new school year meant even bigger changes and challenges for Ally, Bree, and Jack.

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
